Tag Archives: Teacher Activists

Maria Fearing: Intrepid teacher and missionary of the Congo

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Maria Fearing: The intrepid teacher and missionary, born into slavery, who traveled to the Congo to teach at a home for girls. Photo credit: Alabama Department of Archives and History.

There are many stories of dedicated educators who can boast of extraordinary accomplishments. One of these is Maria Fearing, an African American teacher and missionary who was born into slavery but went on to become a beloved teacher in the Congo.

Maria was born on July 26, 1938, on a plantation near Gainesville, Sumter County, Alabama. As a youngster, she was employed as a house servant, spending much of her time with her mistress and the other children. Maria completed the ninth grade, but didn’t really learn to read and write until she was 33 years old.

When the Civil War was won, Maria worked her way through the Freedman’s Bureau School in Talladega, Alabama, to become a teacher. This school is now known as Talladega College. The neophyte educator taught for a number of years in rural schools in Calhoun County in Alabama. But in 1894, at age 56, Maria was inspired to travel to the Congo on the African continent, where for more than 20 years she worked tirelessly as a teacher and Presbyterian missionary. While there, Maria established the Pantops Home for Girls in 1915. Pantops took in girls who had been orphaned and those who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery. The intrepid teacher used trinkets, tools, and even salt to barter for the freedom of these girls. She taught reading, writing, arithmetic, homemaking skills, and gardening in the mission day school, and she worked with the women of the surrounding villages. Her appreciative students nicknamed her “mama wa mputu” (“Mother from Far Away”).

At the age of 78, because of failing health, Maria was encouraged to retire. In 1918, the Southern Presbyterian Church recognized her many years of dedication and hard work by honoring her with the Loving Cup. Maria wasn’t ready to quit working, though. After returning to her native Alabama, she continued to teach, working at a church school in Selma, Alabama. She later returned to Sumter County, where she passed away on May 23, 1937. She was 100 years old.

Maria Fearing, a true Chalkboard Champion, was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000. You can read more about this amazing teacher at Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame.

Texas educator and community activist Leona Washington

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Many talented educators also work to improve the lives of the people of their city through community activism. Leona Washington of El Paso, Texas, was one such educator. Photo credit: El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs.

Many talented educators also work to improve the lives of the people of their city through community activism. Leona Washington of El Paso, Texas, was one such educator.

Leona was born in 1928 in El Paso. As a young woman, she attended Prairie View  A&M University. There she earned both her Bachelor’s and her Master’s degrees. Once she earned her degrees, Leona taught for two years in  Las Cruces schools. Later, Leona became a teacher in Douglass School, a segregated school in the El Paso Independent School District. Her career there spanned 39 years.

In addition to her classroom duties, Leona founded the McCall Neighborhood Center in El Paso. There she worked as the first Executive Director of the facility, which served both the African American and Mexican American communities in the city. In addition, she was a co-founder and principal organizer of the annual Miss Black El Paso Southwest Scholarship Pageant. She also served as President, Vice-President, and Treasurer of the Phillis Wheatley Chapter of El Paso, an organization that provided a food bank for needy families and the elderly. She was also a member of the NAACP, the El Paso Community Foundation Advisory Board, the Arts and Resources Board of El Paso, and the Planned Parenthood Board of El Paso.

As if all this were not enough, Leona accepted the responsibilities of publishing The Good Neighbor Interpreter, a newspaper that provided news about the African American community to the residents of El Paso. In addition, she composed the song “The City of El Paso,” which was adopted as the city’s official song in the 1980’s.

For her many works of community activism, Leona earned many accolades. She was inducted into the El Paso County Democratic Hall of Fame in 1984, and in 1991, she was inducted into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame. She was given the city of El Paso’s Conquistador Award in 2000. She also received Woman of the Year Award in 2002 and the Myrna J. Deckert Lifetime Achievement Award by the YWCA in 2007, the last honor posthumously.

Leona passed away on August 5, 2007. To learn more about this amazing Chalkboard Champion, see this article about her published in the Texas State Historical Association.

 

Ohio’s Hazel Mountain Walker; Educator and pioneer lawyer

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Ohio teacher Hazel Mountain Walker was one of the first African American women to pass the bar in her state.

Many fine educators also earn acclaim in fields outside of the classroom. One of these is Hazel Mountain Walker, a teacher from Ohio who was among the first African American women to pass the bar in her state. She was also an activist for racial integration in her city.

Hazel was born on February 16, 1889, in Warren, Ohio. As a young woman, she graduated from Cleveland Normal Training School. After her graduation, she inaugurated her career by accepting her first teaching job at Mayflower Elementary School in 1909. She taught elementary school for a total of 27 years, from 1909 to 1936. During those years, the experienced educator earned a law degree from the Baldwin Wallace College in 1919. The same year, she was admitted to the bar in the state of Ohio. Instead of practicing as an attorney, she decide to provide educational services to the juvenile courts.

Later, Hazel earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1939 and her Master’s degree in Education in 1941, both from Western Reserve University. Even after earning her law degree, she continued to her work in fields related to education, including serving as the principal for a number of elementary schools.

Throughout her lengthy professional life, Hazel was a sought-after speaker on race relations in her city. She was appointed to the Cleveland Womanpower Committee to advise on the integration of African American women into the war-time work force. In 1960, she was honored by the Urban League of Greater Cleveland for serving as an officer for its forerunner, the Negro Welfare League. Hazel was also active in the Cuyahoga County Republican Party, the Women’s City Club, and at Karamu House, an organization that worked, in part, to achieve racial integration. In fact, Karamu House inducted her into its Hall of Fame in 2007 to honor her for 25 years of service on its board.

Hazel Mountain Walker retired from the teaching profession in 1958. After her retirement, she served two years on the Ohio State Board of Education. This Chalkboard Champion passed away on May 16, 1980, in Cleveland, Ohio. She was 91 years old. To read more about this amazing educator and activist, see her biography at the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.

Khalif and Victoria Rasshan found African American Museum of Beginnings

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After they retired, educators Khalif and Victoria Rasshan founded The African American Museum of Beginnings (TAAMB) in Pomona, California. Photo credit: TAAMB.

Retired educators often become involved in projects that improve and enrich their community. This is certainly true of Khalif and Victoria Rasshan, a married couple who are both retired teachers from the Pomona Unified School District (PUSD) in Pomona, California. The pair established, curate, and run an African American museum in their home town of Pomona.

The African American Museum of Beginnings (TAAMB) is a community museum that inspires and educates all who are interested in the history, culture, and arts of Africans and African Americans. The museum offers exhibits, programs, and community engagement. The collection includes information dating back from 6,000 BC to the present. In addition, ancient artifacts and little-known African contributions are on full display. The Rasshans founded the museum in 2011 after they retired following more than three decades in the teaching profession. The couple credits Gloria Morrison and Alma Morrison Rahmaan for the inspiration for the museum. In the early 1990’s, the Morrison sisters called for relevant cultural education for their children.

Khalif was born in Los Angeles and raised in Compton, California. He graduated from Garey High School in Pomona in 1969. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of La Verne in La Verne, California, in 1973. He earned his Master’s degree in Education from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa in 1977. He was employed as a high school English and Social Studies teacher in the Pomona Unified School District (PUSD) from 1976 to 2010, a total of 34 years. Victoria graduated from Centennial High School in Compton, California, and, like her husband, studied at La Verne University. She is a retired elementary teacher from PUSD. In 1969, Victoria was honored as her District’s Teacher of the Year.

To learn more about the TAAMB and to visit the museum website, click on this link to www.taamb.org.

 

Ohio’s Norma Marcere: African American trailblazer

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Norma Marcere of Canton, Ohio, was a trailblazer in her community. Photo credit: www.cantonrep.com

I enjoy sharing stories about African American teachers who have overcome obstacles to become trailblazers in their community. Norma Marcere of Canton, Ohio, was one such teacher.

Norma was born on Oct. 21, 1908, in Canton, Ohio. As a young girl, she attended Canton McKinley High School, where she graduated in 1926. As soon as she graduated, Norma enrolled at Kent State Normal University. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and her Master’s degree in Counseling.

Norma applied for a teaching position in her home town, Canton, but her application was denied because of she was African American. However, she was able to gain employment as an English teacher at Edmund A. Junior High School in the Massillon City School District in the neighboring city of Massillon. Later she accepted a position as a counselor and school psychologist in Akron City Schools.

In 1976, Norma retired from the teaching profession and penned two autobiographies. One was entitled Round the Dining Room Table and the other was entitled The Fences Between. In 1994, the events depicted in these books were re-written into play format which was performed before an audience of 12,000 people.

In 1979, the former teacher founded the Project for Academic Excellence, a weekend program that offered tutoring and assistance to underachieving students. The program evolved into the STRIVE (Study, Think, Read, Investigate, Volunteer, and Excel) program, which helped students deal with social issues and develop personal responsibility.

For her work in the classroom, Norma earned many accolades. She was named the Junior League Woman of the Year in 1973. Walsh University gave her an honorary doctorate in 1980. In 1991 she garnered the Norma Award, an honor named after Norma Sigler Atkins Rowlands. In 1998, the Office for Black Catholic Ministries of the Diocese of Toledo bestowed their Sister Thea Bowman Medallion on Norma. She was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 1985.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away from natural causes on Aug. 10, 2004. She was 95 years old. She is interred at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Canton, Stark County, Ohio.